Hertfordshire ‘world leading’ for research

January 23, 2015

Hertfordshire rated as internationally excellent and world leading for research[Shelby Loasby | News Sub Editor]

The Government’s 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF) announced that the University of Hertfordshire has been rated ‘world leading’ and ‘internationally excellent’ for over 55% of the university’s research.

REF assesses the quality and impact of research submitted by UK universities across all disciplines. The results are then used by the funding bodies to allocate block-grant research funding to universities from 2015-16.

Impact is a new criterion of the REF and the university was pleased that 100% of its research demonstrated impact with over 90% being classed as ‘considerable impact’ and 51% as ‘outstanding’ or ‘very considerable.’

Hertfordshire was the only university in the country to receive a 100% 4 star or ‘world leading’ rating for its history research impact, and topped all other University Alliance group universities for the quality of history research.

Professor Jonathan Morris said: “I am delighted that our world leading research in history and the history unit’s commitment to generating outstanding impacts across all the dimensions of its research has been fully recognised by the REF.”

The two impact cases submitted by history researchers at the university were; Threads of Feeling: Exhibiting the Foundling Textiles’ by Professor John Styles; and ‘The Old Bailey Online: Bringing Criminal and Legal History into the present’ by Professor Tim Hitchcock. The UH Heritage Hub and Everyday Lives in War also contributed.

Other areas were also particularly strong for Hertfordshire, including; Philosophy, which achieved 80% outstanding and very considerable impact; and Nursing, which achieved 100% outstanding and very considerable impact.

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